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This article is about the map in Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, and Age of Mythology: The Titans. For the map in Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition - The African Royals, see Highlands.

Highland is a random map found in Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, and Age of Mythology: The Titans.

Age of Empires[]

ROR HIGHLAND ICON

Highland selection in Return of Rome

โ€œWith moderately sparse forests, hilly lands and abundance of wildlife, this map brings out the best of the classic battles on land.โ€
Return of Rome description

Highland is one of just two landlocked maps in Age of Empires, the other being Hill Country, which was later introduced in Rise of Rome.

What makes this map different from Hill Country is Hill Country is certainly a landlocked map while Highland may or may not contain river crossings. It is technically like Hill Country with a river. If Highland did not contain a river, it would be almost exactly like Hill Country. Any other player with fewer choke points should rush instead, similarly to Arabia.

The rivers that occasionally appear on Highland can sometimes be connected to fairly large lakes and seas. Computer players will never build Docks, however.

In the Return of Rome version, it is a fully land based map without streams or other type of water. Is the standard map akin to Arabia in Age of Empires II.

Age of Empires II[]

AOE2 HIGHLAND ICON

Highland selection

โ€œFar from the ocean and heavily forested but with plenty of rivers and open space for maneuvers.โ€
—Map description

Description[]

Highland features a cliffed, highly forested land, with one or more rivers traversing the region dividing players or teams. While the map usually features multiple rivers when many players have joined a game, it's not unheard to have 4-player games, but a single river.

Either way, fish live in the rivers (the species present are Salmon). Also, these same rivers feature multiple shallows, from where land units may access the other players' parts of the map. Occasionally, two portions of the map, normally divided by rivers, may be slightly connected by land.

Start-up food resources are standard (8 Sheep or 6 Cows, 6 Berry Bushes; huntables: 2 aggressive and 3-4 passives) and so are the stone and gold mines. Additionally to the initial herdables, players may also find some others scattered around the map, usually in pairs. Wild beasts are present in low numbers and scattered on the map. Relics present are standard.

It has the in-game map tag "Mixed".

Viable tactics[]

While a Turtle strategy focusing on defending the shallows may seem as a good idea, as the rivers serve as a natural barrier for the land troops, it is usually not recommended to wall these, as players may pragmatically choose to build Docks and embark armies with Transport Ships instead. However, placing buildings near the shore just in order to get sight of the coastline works fine to notice an early landing. To defend the shallows from incoming land troops, it is usually better to just place towers or a Castle near it, and patrol those areas frequently.

Rushing tactics work fine on this map, but most of the time, those may require as mentioned previously, to create Transport Ships, and start the attack from areas the opponent doesn't have enough vigilance.

Turtling tactics can also prove to be useful, thanks to the forests there, but in this case the player must think the defense in concentric circles, protecting the inland by connecting the forests with walls and the riverlands with an army, Castles and towers trying not to leave any blind spots near the shores, especially at the shallows. Following a turtle with an economic boom is very viable and it will require the use of Fishing Ships for better results.

Despite the fact the map is mostly land, using the navy has surprisingly good results in both defense and offense.

Usually in the middle to late game the shallows become hot spots for battles, so players that have access to units that deal splash damage, a special ability like ranged melee damage or trample damage (units like Onagers, War and Battle Elephants, Cataphracts, Demolition Ships etc.) should use them largely to get an advantage as the units there tend to clutter.

Civilizations that have advantages in Highland:

Age of Mythology: The Titans[]

Aomhighlandmenuicon

Highland icon in the random map menu, showing a map with four players

โ€œGrassy hills separated by rivers with defensive narrow crossings.โ€
—Map description

In Age of Mythology, Highland has a similar layout to the Erebus random map, but with more abundant resources on grass terrain. Instead of lava, players are separated by pools of water that may contain fish. Players must maintain control of these ponds to keep enemies from entering their territory and to have a constant supply of food. This can be accomplished by either walling off the narrow passages between ponds and/or building a powerful navy to fend off enemy troops. Building defensive structures will also play an important part on this map as their arrows will do heavy damage to enemy ships as well as any other unit. If there are more than two players present, the central pond becomes larger and it may support a small island at its center with additional resources.

Major gods that have the upper hand on this map will include those who benefit from the abundance of animals such as Set and Odin, as well as defensive Gods such as Hades, Isis, and Shennong. Gaia players can use the Gaia Forest god power to seal off the passes with a near impenetrable wall of trees, forcing enemies to either take a longer route around or send their worker units dangerously close to enemy territory in order to cut it down.

Environment[]

As a Norse map, Cows are the herdable found throughout the map. There are also Deer, Crowned Cranes, and Aurochs for worker units to hunt, but they must careful not to cross paths with Bears. Very rarely, Water Buffalos might also be included.

In cases where fish are present, these are Salmon. Forests included are composed of oaks and pines.

Similar maps[]

Trivia[]

  • This is the second non-African map with Crowned Cranes, the other two being Marsh and Old Atlantis.

Gallery[]

Random maps
Age of Empires
ReturnRome-AoEIcon Age of Empires Coastal ยท Highland ยท Inland ยท Large Islands ยท Small Islands
RomeIcon The Rise of Rome Continental ยท Hill Country ยท Mediterranean ยท Narrows
AoE2Icon-ReturnRome Return of Rome Alliance ยท Citadel ยท Clearing ยท Dark Forest ยท Gold Mountain ยท Inside Out ยท Land Nomad ยท MegaRandom ยท Muddy Waters ยท Nomad ยท Oasis ยท Ocean Channel ยท Ocean Ring ยท Plateaus ยท River Crossing ยท Rivers ยท Sahara ยท Twin Settlements
For maps used in high-level tournaments, see liquipedia.
Age of Empires II
AoE2-DLCicon-0 The Age of Kings Random Arabia ยท Archipelago ยท Baltic ยท Black Forest ยท Crater Lake ยท Continental ยท Coastal ยท Fortress ยท Gold Rush ยท Highland ยท Islands ยท Mediterranean ยท Migration ยท Rivers ยท Team Islands
Custom Canals ยท Capricious ยท Dingos ยท Graveyards ยท Metropolis ยท Moats ยท Paradise Island ยท Pilgrims ยท Prairie ยท Seasons ยท Sherwood Forest ยท Sherwood Heroes ยท Shipwreck ยท Team Glaciers ยท The Unknown
AoE2-DLCicon-1 The Conquerors Random Arena ยท Ghost Lake ยท Mongolia ยท Nomad ยท Oasis ยท Salt Marsh ยท Scandinavia ยท Yucatรกn
Real World Britain ยท Byzantium ยท Central America ยท France ยท Iberia ยท Italy ยท Mideast ยท Norse Lands ยท Sea of Japan (East Sea) ยท Texas
AoE2-DLCicon-2 The Forgotten Random Acropolis ยท Budapest ยท Cenotes ยท City of Lakes ยท Golden Pit ยท Hideout ยท Hill Fort ยท Lombardia ยท Steppe ยท Valley ยท MegaRandom ยท Hamburger
Capture the Relic CtR Monsoon ยท CtR Pyramid Descent ยท CtR Random ยท CtR Spiral
AoE2-DLCicon-3 The African Kingdoms Random Kilimanjaro ยท Mountain Pass ยท Nile Delta ยท Serengeti ยท Socotra
Real World Amazon ยท Bohemia ยท China ยท Earth ยท Horn of Africa ยท India ยท Madagascar ยท West Africa
Special Canyons ยท Enemy Archipelago ยท Enemy Islands ยท Far Out ยท Front Line ยท Inner Circle ยท Motherland ยท Open Plains ยท Ring of Water ยท Snakepit ยท The Eye
AoE2-DLCicon-4 Rise of the Rajas Random Bog Islands ยท Mangrove Jungle ยท Pacific Islands ยท Sandbank ยท Water Nomad
Real World Australia ยท Indochina ยท Indonesia ยท Philippines ยท Strait of Malacca
Special Border Stones ยท Holy Line ยท Jungle Islands ยท Jungle Lanes ยท Yin Yang
AoE2-DLCicon-5 The Last Khans Random Alpine Lakes ยท Bogland ยท Four Lakes ยท Golden Swamp ยท Land Nomad ยท Mountain Ridge ยท Ravines ยท Wolf Hill
Real World Antarctica ยท Aral Sea ยท Black Sea ยท Caucasus ยท Siberia
Special Journey South ยท Snake Forest ยท Sprawling Streams ยท Swirling River ยท Twin Forests
Battle Royale BR Battle On Ice ยท BR El Dorado ยท BR Fall of Axum ยท BR Fall of Rome ยท BR Majapahit Empire
AoE2Icon-LordsWest Lords of the West Random Acclivity ยท African Clearing ยท Amazon Tunnel ยท Atacama ยท Coastal Forest ยท Crater ยท Crossroads ยท Eruption ยท Frigid Lake ยท Greenland ยท Lowland ยท Marketplace ยท Meadow ยท Michi ยท Mountain Range ยท Northern Isles ยท Ring Fortress ยท Runestones ยท Seize The Mountain ยท Team Moats ยท Volcanic Island
Dawn of the Dukes icon Dawn of the Dukes Random Aftermath ยท Enclosed ยท Haboob ยท Kawasan ยท Land Madness ยท Sacred Springs ยท Wade
AoE2Icon-DynastiesIndia Dynasties of India Random Morass ยท Shoals
For maps used in high-level tournaments, see liquipedia.
Age of Mythology
Aom original icon Age of Mythology Acropolis ยท Alfheim ยท Anatolia ยท Archipelago ยท Black Sea ยท Erebus ยท Ghost Lake ยท Jotunheim ยท King of the Hill ยท Mediterranean ยท Midgard ยท Nomad ยท Oasis ยท River Nile ยท River Styx ยท Savannah ยท Sea of Worms ยท Sudden Death ยท Team Migration ยท The Unknown ยท Valley of Kings ยท Vinlandsaga ยท Watering Hole
AoM The Titans icon The Titans Highland ยท Islands ยท Land Unknown ยท Marsh ยท Megalopolis ยท Tundra
AoM Extended icon Tale of the Dragon Basin ยท Blue Lagoon ยท Deep Jungle ยท Old Atlantis ยท Open Fields ยท Regicide ยท Silk Road ยท Yellow River
Cut Forgotten City ยท Golden Fleece
For maps used in high-level tournaments, see liquipedia.
Age of Empires III
3Icon48px Age of Empires III Amazonia ยท Bayou ยท Caribbean ยท Carolina ยท Great Lakes ยท Great Plains ยท Hispaniola ยท New England ยท Pampas ยท Patagonia ยท Rockies ยท Saguenay ยท Sonora ยท Texas ยท Unknown ยท Yucatรกn ยท Yukon
3WCIcon48px The WarChiefs Andes ยท Araucania ยท California ยท Northwest Territory ยท Orinoco ยท Ozarks ยท Painted Desert ยท Plymouth
3ADIcon48px The Asian Dynasties Borneo ยท Ceylon ยท Deccan ยท Himalayas ยท Himalayas - Upper ยท Honshu ยท Honshu - Regicide ยท Indochina ยท Mongolia ยท Regicide ยท Siberia ยท Silk Road ยท Yellow River
Age3DE Icon Definitive Edition Alaska ยท Andes - Upper ยท Arctic Territories ยท Bahia ยท Baja California ยท Bengal ยท Cascade Range ยท Central Asia ยท Central Plain ยท Colorado ยท Dakota ยท Fertile Crescent ยท Florida ยท Gran Chaco ยท Guianas ยท Hokkaido ยท Indonesia ยท Kamchatka ยท Korea ยท Malaysia ยท Manchuria ยท Mexico ยท Minas Gerais ยท Pampas Sierras ยท Panama ยท Parallel Rivers ยท Punjab ยท Texas Frontier ยท Yamal
The African Royals Arabia ยท Atlas ยท Congo Basin ยท Darfur ยท Dunes ยท Dunes - The Eye ยท Gold Coast ยท Great Rift ยท Highlands ยท Horn ยท Ivory Coast ยท Lake Chad ยท Lake Victoria ยท Niger Delta ยท Niger River ยท Nile Valley ยท Pepper Coast ยท Saharan Routes ยท Saharan Routes - LOST ยท Sahel ยท Savanna ยท Siwa Oasis ยท Sudd ยท Swahili Coast ยท Tassili ยท Tripolitania
Knights of the Mediterranean Acropolis ยท Alps ยท Anatolia ยท Archipelago ยท Balkan Mountains ยท Baltic Sea ยท Black Forest ยท Black Forest - Arena ยท Black Forest - Forest Nothing ยท Bohemia ยท Budapest ยท Carpathians ยท Caucasus ยท Corsica and Sardinia ยท Courland ยท Danish Straits ยท Dnieper Basin ยท England ยท Eurasian Steppe ยท Eurasian Steppe - LOST ยท Eurasian Steppe - Survival ยท Finland ยท France ยท Hungarian Plains ยท Ireland ยท Italy ยท Karelian Lakes ยท Lithuania ยท Low Countries ยท Mediterranean ยท Muscovy ยท Pomerania ยท Portugal ยท Pripet Marshes ยท Pyrenees ยท Rhine ยท Saxony ยท Scandinavia ยท Scotland ยท Spain ยท Vistula Basin ยท Wales ยท Wallachia
For maps used in high-level tournaments, see liquipedia.
GameIcon-AoE4 Age of Empires IV
Age of Empires IV Launch Altai ยท Ancient Spires ยท Archipelago ยท Black Forest ยท Boulder Bay ยท Confluence ยท Danube River ยท Dry Arabia ยท French Pass ยท Hill and Dale ยท King of the Hill ยท Lipany ยท Mongolian Heights ยท Mountain Pass ยท Nagari
One MegaRandom
Three Baltic (Mediterranean) ยท Forest Ponds ยท Hideout ยท Mountain Clearing ยท Oasis ยท Prairie ยท Waterholes ยท Wetlands
Four Continental ยท Four Lakes ยท Marshland
Five Golden Heights ยท Migration ยท Volcanic Island
Six Canal ยท Gorge ยท Rocky River
Unsorted High View ยท The Pit ยท Warring Islands
The Sultans Ascend Six African Waters ยท Cliffside ยท Forts ยท Glade ยท Golden Pit ยท Haywire ยท Hidden Valley ยท Himeyama ยท Thickets ยท Turtle Ridge
Expansion maps are not available without buying the expansion. Maps are sorted according to their expansion (must be bought) and launch seasons.
For maps used in high-level tournaments, see liquipedia.
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